One Arm at a Time

With a nickname like “The Arm Collector,” there is no secret to the
success of
Bellator Fighting Championships middleweight Giva
Santana. He almost always leaves his mixed martial arts bouts
with an appendage as a souvenir.

Among his 17 professional wins, 13 have been snatched via
armbar.

“Everyone says that there’s no way they’re going to get caught in
an armbar before they fight me -- every time, and every time I say
the same thing. Submitting people is my God-given gift,” Santana
told Sherdog.com. “It’s what I love to do.”

Santana serves as the head Brazilian jiu-jitsu coach with
Team Oyama, instructing fighters like world-ranked flyweight
Ian
McCall and undefeated heavyweight Shane del
Rosario. He will take his passion for hyperextending arms into
the quarterfinals of the Bellator Season 6 middleweight tournament,
where he will meet fellow Brazilian Bruno
Santos in the quarterfinals at
Bellator 61 on Friday at The Riverdome at Horseshoe Casino and
Hotel, Bossier City, La.

The once-beaten Santana (17-1) has won six consecutive bouts since
suffering the lone defeat of his career -- a split decision loss to
Jaime
Jara in 2008. He knows he faces a difficult task in the
Bellator quarters.

“Santos is undefeated,” Santana said, “so I definitely expect for
him to be a very tough opponent. He looks pretty strong. He seems
like he has solid punches, and he has really good ground
control.”

The approaches of the two middleweights could not be more
different. Where Santana collects arms, Santos stifles his
opponents, controlling the cage and often working to decisions. In
12 career appearances, Santos (12-0) has only two finishes. His
last nine fights have gone to the scorecards.

“He’s good at scoring takedowns and staying on top,” Santana said.
“We’re preparing for all of these things so I’m 100 percent ready
on the day of the fight.”

Even though Santos has grown accustomed to dragging fights into the
latter rounds, Santana feels his training will trump what his foe
has to offer.

Bruno
Santos File Photo

Santos is undefeated.

“Bruno is short and really stocky, but I’ve fought guys like him
before,” he said. “We’ve been working really hard on our strategy
on the ground for this fight. I’m going to be ready for any
situation in this fight, whether it’s on the ground or on the
feet.”

Santana has not been able to scout his countryman as diligently as
he would have liked, but he believes his skills -- especially from
his back -- are superior to those of anyone Santos has fought
previously.

“I haven’t been able to watch all of [his] fights yet, but from the
ones that I have seen, his opponents weren’t that sharp on the
ground,” Santana said. “A lot of people can’t focus when they’re on
their back but not me. It comes natural. I’m not worried at all,
regardless of who’s on top.”

The confidence seems warranted, as Santana’s abilities on the mat
are well-documented. Fourteen of his 15 submissions have come
inside the first round.

“I prefer to fight on the ground,” Santana said. “That’s where I
feel the most comfortable. It doesn’t matter whether I’m on the top
or bottom. I feel comfortable in any situation on the ground, so if
this fight goes to the ground, that’s my world.”

The 40-year-old Santana expects Santos to play into the most
polished facet of his game.

“I think Bruno is going to try to hold me down because that’s
usually his game plan,” he said, “but that’s not going to work with
me. Every time I go to the ground, I’m looking for the finish.
Whether it’s your arm or your leg or your neck, I’m trying to
finish the fight the entire time.”

Santana made his promotional debut at Bellator 53 in October, when
he needed just two minutes to submit Darryl Cobb
by first-round armbar. Now, he returns to compete in the
promotion’s latest middleweight tournament, the winner of which
will receive a crack at the title currently held by
American Top Team’s Hector
Lombard.

“

Getting the armbar is a game for
me. I know that my opponent
has trained his hardest to defend
against it, so I make it a personal
challenge to show that my offense
is better than his defense.

”

-- Giva Santana on his ace
move

“I approach every single fight I have like it could be the last
fight of my career,” Santana said. “This Bellator tournament is a
huge opportunity for me. This fight with Bruno is just the first
step, and if I want to take another step, I have to win this fight.
That’s what I plan to do.”

Whether Santana can win the bout and whether or not he can secure
his signature move remains to be seen. He welcomes the test.

“Getting the armbar is a game for me,” Santana said. “I know that
my opponent has trained his hardest to defend against it, so I make
it a personal challenge to show that my offense is better than his
defense. Trust me, If Bruno leaves his arm out there, I’m going to
take it.”